There and Back Again
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: Oneshot. Bishop and Reeves make loose plans for the future despite avoidance of the whole reason for their dream Grand Tour. .::Clellie::.


**There and Back Again**

An NCIS oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _NCIS_ characters belong to Donald P. Bellasario, not to me. Clellie feels because they're so sweet. ;w; Read, review, and enjoy!

\- ^-^3

Bishop wore a knowing little smile as the food truck barista passed them each a cup of coffee. She paid before Reeves could open his wallet, and then she tucked her arm into the available crook in his elbow as they turned to resume their walk that had them parallel with the Potomac.

Reeves went to sip his drink, but instead he narrowed his eyes at her when her smile didn't waver even as she sipped her own. "…what?" he prompted.

Now she laughed. "I didn't even say anything," she pointed out.

But, he knew Eleanor Bishop and knew her well. "It's the coffee, isn't it? You'll make an American of me yet, Yank."

Bishop laughed again, harder and full-mouthed. "It's just nice to see you…_settle in_, finally." She pursed her lips then, a borderline smile, and kept sipping the coffee.

While her face fogged behind a small cloud of steam, Reeves half shrugged, to himself, and drank his, eyes darting between the arm wrapped around his and the city lights glinting over the river surface. Coffee wasn't a good cup of British tea, no, but…Bishop was right. He'd been around it long enough to have developed a taste for it. It was quite lovely, if you could get it tailored to your palate.

…his mind lingered for a moment on that thought and made a crude comparison. Internally, Reeves groaned.

Bishop squeezed his arm, bringing his attention back where it ought to be. "Ellie?"

She pointed to a spot on the railing at the water's edge. "I know it's late, but I wouldn't mind staying out a bit longer." She looked back up at him with raised eyebrows.

Reeves grinned. "You know, if I thought I could say 'no' to you, then we wouldn't already be out past midnight, drinking caffeine as if we're night owls with no responsibilities for the next morning." He turned them in the direction she'd pointed.

"Actually, it's almost one."

He did a double-take. "No joke?"

She tapped the face of her watch in answer.

"Well…technically, I'm still right. One in the morning is _well_ past midnight."

Bishop laughed again.

At the railing, Reeves leaned on his forearms, his cup between his hands, the liquid inside cooling to a less-than-searing temperature. Beside him, Bishop held on tight to his left arm and leaned into his body heat, her head on his shoulder, her neck and lower half of her face wrapped up in her scarf. How she still managed to drink her coffee that way was anyone's guess.

Bishop glanced at him, and their eyes accidentally met. Either one chuckling, they looked away just as quickly, their reactions making their shoulders shake with quiet but real laughter. "Y'know…," Bishop started. "…I didn't think feeling like this again was possible."

For a second, Reeves wanted to be nonchalant and give a noncommittal shrug or look of understanding. But then he thought about the last several months.

Bishop seeming like herself again after throwing herself into her work.

Before that, a summer of the team taking turns, making sure she was all right.

A summer of spontaneous visits by her brothers.

A summer of Reeves spending more time at her home than at his own flat or away on secret missions.

A late spring riddled with bullet holes and death and vengeance and more bullet holes.

A winter, an autumn of her being happy with someone who probably could've kept her that way.

An autumn, a late summer of her choosing to give Qasim a shot, because all she and Reeves had had were conflicting feelings.

Before that, a trip, just the two of them, meant for work but turned personal, in the United Kingdom.

His brain then played things going forward, fast-forward, stopping right up until this moment with her right now, here at the Potomac, the lights of the skyline outlining every detail of her face as it poked out from behind her scarf for coffee and conversation's sake.

Finally, a reply came to him: "I'm glad I joined Gibbs' team."

The blonde snorted and raised her eyebrows at him.

"What? I did!"

She patted his arm. "It took you a while for that, Clay. You love your undercover work. Being part of a team…"

"Well, I've learned. Gibbs is a good leader. McGee's as reliable as they come. Torres is…well, Torres, but he's not what I'd call 'shabby.'" He paused there; Vance could still be infuriating at times, and he didn't know what to think of this new Sloane character even though she'd been at the agency for three and a half months now.

"And?"

"And what?"

Her dark brown eyes were big and wide as though she truly were appalled.

Reeves snickered. "You really want me to say it?"

"Well, duh."

He squeezed her arm at his side and turned his head. They were almost nose to nose now. But even as he debated what compliment to give her for playing a part in making him a team member, his eyes zigzagged over her face, taking in details and replacing this mid-December view of her with the one of her with a warm, drizzly hillside background, the smoky blues of fog and the vibrant grass greens that made her eyes pop and her hair shine well over a year ago.

"Clay?"

"I'm thinking."

She pouted. "But you said such nice things automatically about everyone el—"

He shook his head. "Not that. I'm—" He paused again, an idea clicking into place. Oh. "…I'm thinking we should go to Scotland again."

Bishop blinked. But her whole face brightened up. "I would _love_ for that to happen."

"I'm not surprised. You never stopped talking about it last year."

"Because I loved it that much. There are places I've always wanted to go, and that was one. But…it was better, going with you."

"Nothing quite like having a fit tour guide take you 'round."

"Eh, that, too." She grinned impishly at the look he shot her. "But…I really would like to go back with you, Clayton." She stared up at him. "But not just Scotland this time. I want you to show me where you grew up, too. As well as all the other parts of the Shire." Of course the last bit was said teasingly, and she laughed when he booped her nose the way he would a mischievous kitten.

"You know, if you want the _actual_ Shire, then we might as well put New Zealand on that travel list."

"Hey, I'm down for that! And don't suggest a list unless you're really willing to unleash me on these travel plans. I will outline an itinerary that will include at least half a dozen destinations before we've even bought our first tickets."

Reeves snorted softly. With Bishop talking like this, as if they were going on their Grand Tour… He stopped himself there. Even if her circumstances had changed, even if he'd been there for her, thinking _that_ far ahead was bloody ridiculous.

She didn't seem to mind that their conversation had reached another stopping point. Instead, she finished her coffee and leaned her head against his, her temple grazing his cheek. "This is nice," she said quietly. It didn't matter that there was noise behind them as well as in front; with their proximity, he heard her.

"It is," he agreed. A simple comment on a simple statement. There was a coziness to it that Reeves liked.

"Clay—"

He turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

And she kissed him. His coffee breath, her coffee breath mingled, and they rested their foreheads together when they broke apart. "_We're_ what's nice," she said. She smiled as their noses touched. "We…we've come to be each other's home. Home, for someone who's constantly wandering."

Despite being caught unawares, Reeves didn't shy away from the intimacy. After all, he knew Bishop had a point.

After all her turmoil and loss, she still had him. And with nothing to his name, he still wanted to give her everything he had—everything he was.

"That brain of yours really is brilliant," he remarked.

"So you've said."

He met her eyes. "I will forever be impressed by how you see the world, Eleanor Bishop." He stood up straight, but he took her into the warmth of his woolen coat.

"That's a world with you in it, Clayton Reeves," she elaborated, and she smiled against his mouth as he bent to kiss her again and she stood on tiptoes to meet him.

\- ^-^ 3

**:3c I've…been dying to write this idea for a while. All my Ellick (dw—this is a s17 spoiler-free A/N ;D), Clellick, and Click feels aside, Clellie is so freaking soft and honestly I thought it was canon when s14 opened and there was talk about their trip—and then again when later we learned Bishop is his emergency contact?! (Which I only remembered as I wrapped up writing this, *LOL*.) I mean, even my notes on what to include/how to write this oneshot said, "so! much! flirting!" XD like young teens in love. I still adore Qasim and miss him, too, so I decided to set this in s15, so she'd be post-Qasim and so she and Reeves would've danced around their feelings a bit longer, even as he led the charge in helping her pick up the pieces. In case you were wondering, the "crude comparison" Reeves makes early on in the story is just that he's grown fond of coffee and he's also grown fond of Bishop; it's crude bc he's comparing someone he loves to food, oof. XDDD ANYWAY. The title, ofc, is Tolkien-inspired, being the title of Bilbo's story in the **_**Lord of the Rings**_** universe; on that LotR note, the Shire is also where the hobbits live, and the movies were mostly (if not wholly) shot in New Zealand, in case anyone doesn't know. Bishop's a bit of a nerd, but so is Reeves in his own way, and I can easily see them having such banter. Last note: A Grand Tour used to be a popular time to travel in a young person's life in old Britain, usually as their honeymoon trip, so you can understand why Reeves didn't want to get ahead of himself when he and Bishop haven't even admitted their romance let alone said "I love you." I highly recommend googling for more info and trying out some historical romance centered around a Grand Tour—they can be quite fun reads!**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Check out my other **_**NCIS**_** fics if you liked this.**

**-mew-tsubaki c:**


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